Russian-Moroccan Arts Festival opens in Rabat

RABAT, July 2. /TASS/. The "Russian and Moroccan Palette" Fine Arts Festival, long regarded as a symbol of cultural dialogue between the two nations, has officially been opened in Morocco's capital, a TASS correspondent reports.

During the upcoming month, each new week of the festival will feature a distinct agenda, all united by a common theme: creating a shared cultural space through positive creativity and collaboration in art. On the first day of the festival, a vernissage was held at the Russian House in Rabat, showcasing about 40 works of Russian and Moroccan artists in a variety of styles and genres. In the opening ceremony Russia's newly appointed Ambassador to Morocco Igor Belyayev addressed the participants and guests of the exhibition. He had presented copies of his credentials to the Morocco’s Foreign Minister the day before.

"I was delighted to visit the Russian Cultural Centre on the occasion of the opening of this exhibition of Moroccan and Russian artists and to get acquainted with the special style of Moroccan artists," the Ambassador told TASS after observing the exposition. "I liked all the painting very much," Belyayev noted, adding that he explores "the culture of the host country with great interest."

The idea of the festival

"The festival, which this year is being held for the 13th time, originally brought together only artists living and working in Rabat," Abdelati Doghmi, founder and coordinator of the Morocco-Russia Friendship Development Association, told TASS. "Over time, however, the geography of participants has expanded, and today the Russian House hosts works of the masters from many Moroccan cities, including Casablanca, Marrakech, Fez, Agadir and Meknes." According to Doghmi, the selection of artworks is carried out in collaboration with the Moroccan Association of Fine Arts - the country's largest public organization dedicated to the development of artistic education and promotion of cultural initiatives. "The association knows its artists best and helps nominate the most worthy candidates for the festival, but the final decision rests with the Russian House in Rabat," he clarified. The entire selection process is open and transparent: "announcements and updates are shared both on social media and in specialized institutions," Doghmi added.

The current exhibition demonstrates works of 40 artists, 25 of whom are Moroccans. The Russian contingent is predominantly represented by masters, residing and working in the Kingdom. Doghmi noted that the genre diversity of the exhibition stems from the organizational approach - each artist is allowed to display only one painting. In his opinion, "the most important aspect of the festival is the personal connections it fosters between artists from the two countries, the exchange of experience, creative ideas and plans." Abdelati Doghmi concluded: "The whole point of the festival, and its main achievement, is in promoting dialogue, cooperation and strengthening friendship between the peoples of Morocco and Russia.".